Steelers OT Alejandro Villanueva had a heartwarming reunion with his Afghan interpreter

The Steelers didn’t make the Super Bowl, but offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva made the trip to Houston with a special reason in mind.

Villanueva served three tours in Afghanistan with the U.S. Army and developed a close friendship with his platoon’s Afghan interpreter Mohammad Arif Azimi. Their reunion was captured in ESPN’s SC Featured segment.

Azimi immigrated to Houston under a special visa in 2015. For the first time since 2012, Villanueva reunited with his close friend.

Villanueva detailed how Azimi risked his life while assisting the Army. At one point, Azimi carried a wounded U.S. soldier to safety amid heavy gunfire from Taliban fighters. He looked back at Azimi’s heroism and said it was a moment that he’ll never forget.

“That was very honorable. That’s something that not a lot of people in this country can say they’ve done. A local national, Afghan, dressed up in U.S. uniform, carrying a wounded American soldier to safety.

“It’s one of those images that I’ll never forget about him.”

Villanueva’s story brought into light the potential consequences of Donald Trump’s controversial executive order on immigration. Interpreters often become targets and put their lives at stake to help the U.S. troops all for the promise of moving to the U.S.

ESPN reached out to Army veteran Matt Zeller who started the non-profit, No One Left Behind. He works to bring interpreters to the U.S. on special visas and expressed his concern in the video about the executive order.

“What happens if the prevailing narrative around the world becomes Americans aren’t ones to keep their word,” he asked.

Steelers OT Alejandro Villanueva had a heartwarming reunion with his Afghan interpreter

An emotional reunion.

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